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Koeman: Depay will find Premier League switch tough

Memphis Depay cannot play every game for Manchester United, according to Ronald Koeman.

Published

21 June 2015

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believes Manchester United signing Memphis Depay will find the switch to the Premier League difficult.

Depay, 21, joined United from PSV Eindhoven in a deal believed to be worth £31million, having netted 22 Eredivisie goals in 2014-15.

But Koeman feels the switch from the Dutch top-flight to the Premier League will be tricky for Depay.

Koeman, who was in charge at PSV when Depay was in the youth team, also said the attacker was unable to play every game.

"I think they paid a lot of money," he told The Mirror.

"Because it is United, where they already spent £200m on players like Angel di Maria, such a big figure is put in perspective.

"If you pay millions for Di Maria who hardly plays, if you pay a fortune in wages and rent fee for Radamel Falcao who never plays, than £25m is not a lot of money for them…

"He won’t play every game. I have learnt, while I am here in England, that Dutch players can’t make the jump to the top of the Premier League easily. And young players can’t play 38 games anyway.

"And I see another lack of quality with the Dutch kids, that I have also noticed with other young stars in the Premier League: they don’t communicate. They behave like individuals. Stuck to their smartphones."